USGP what a corker, best of the season?

[Jericoke]

If Bernie was serious about getting attention for the race, he wouldn't have scheduled it on the same day as the NASCAR season finale at Homestead.

There's not a lot of weekends where F1 can run and not be the same day as a NASCAR race.

Scheduling the F1 race on the same weekend as the NASCAR finale actually makes sense.  F1's 'brand' is being the best of the best.  If they run and hide from NASCAR, that sends the wrong message for the brand.  (Incidentally, that's a big sticking point at Indy.  Normally F1 is a big deal wherever it goes, but at IMS, they're only the THIRD most interesting event on the calendar)

If F1 can't beat NASCAR 'head to head', then it will never be taken seriously by advertisers.

I don't think it's possible for F1 to ever 'take off' in the USA.  Their best bet is to be a regional interest, which means racing in places where there is demand for 'world class events', but not an established top level race.  In which case, Austin and NJ are great locations.

[Scott]

If what he is looking for is TV audience, I bet there are MORE viewers on a NASCAR weekend.  The key is to not schedule either so they run over each other.

I used to be in heaven (when I was single and childless) when there was a triple crown weekend of NASCAR, CART and F1 races on the same day.  7hours of motorsports, pizza, ice cold coke and some atmosphere enhancers  - heavenly.

[Jericoke]

If what he is looking for is TV audience, I bet there are MORE viewers on a NASCAR weekend.  The key is to not schedule either so they run over each other.

I used to be in heaven (when I was single and childless) when there was a triple crown weekend of NASCAR, CART and F1 races on the same day.  7hours of motorsports, pizza, ice cold coke and some atmosphere enhancers  - heavenly.

American races produce the best TV ratings.   The Canadian and Brazillian Grand Prix are always amongst the top watched TV events worldwide.  I'm sure the Austin race was watched by plenty of Europeans Sunday evening.  If that's the case, it might not even matter if Americans watched or not.

I missed watching the race live because the weekend is time to do stuff with my family.  I can take Sunday Morning to myself, but not the afternoon

[cosworth151]

It's wasn't just a NASCAR race, it was the season finale.

New York City wouldn't help, either. CART tried it and got nowhere. NASCAR gave up on even trying to put a race there. To get ink & air time with a non-NASCAR race over here, it has to be at Indy or Daytona.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, Scott. My daughter is grown with a family of her own now. I can watch all of the racing I want. I can even watch all of Le Mans! 

[Ian]

My favourites are the early morning ones in the southern hemisphere, wife and son are still snoring and I get to watch them in peace.

[lkjohnson1950]

It's wasn't just a NASCAR race, it was the season finale.

New York City wouldn't help, either. CART tried it and got nowhere. NASCAR gave up on even trying to put a race there. To get ink & air time with a non-NASCAR race over here, it has to be at Indy or Daytona.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, Scott. My daughter is grown with a family of her own now. I can watch all of the racing I want. I can even watch all of Le Mans! 

Confess I haven't been able to make it all the way through Le Mans for several years now. Usually nod off around 3-4 in the morning. 

[Willy]

I liked the track and it was a good race.

My issue is with the placement and amount of TV camera's at the circuit.

There was way too much time spent with overhead shots from the helicopters and on car camera's for my taste.
I like watching a lap from the drivers POV but not lap after lap.
The organizers need to go see how camera's are placed at tracks such as Monaco and watch that coverage to see how it can be done.

I may be being a tad picky but that was my feeling watching the race.

And yes, it is the first time they have held a race on this new track and hopefully they will learn and make changes for next year.

[Jericoke]

I liked the track and it was a good race.

My issue is with the placement and amount of TV camera's at the circuit.

There was way too much time spent with overhead shots from the helicopters and on car camera's for my taste.
I like watching a lap from the drivers POV but not lap after lap.
The organizers need to go see how camera's are placed at tracks such as Monaco and watch that coverage to see how it can be done.

I may be being a tad picky but that was my feeling watching the race.

And yes, it is the first time they have held a race on this new track and hopefully they will learn and make changes for next year.

I agree, the sky cams aren't the way to watch the race, but they really were some of the best sky cam shots I've ever seen of racing.  An excellent feel for how a pack of cars behave  in a complex of corners.

[Scott]

I like helicopters up high.  They are a big distraction if you are at the race live and always buzzing around.  In recent years there have been some really good improvements, like cameras on cables overhead, or that boom cam at the hairpin of a race I can't remember where.

[cosworth151]

The boom camera inside a hairpin was at Turn 9 at the U.S.G.P. at Indy.

[Scott]

Oh, that's a bummer.  Too bad nobody else thought of it.   

[John S]

Boom cameras at hairpins are pretty common. They have used one for years at Donnington when the longer circuit, taking in the Adelaide loop, is used. I've seen it there twice at World Series by Renault races in 05 & 07. I'm sure they are used at F1 tracks with proper 180 hairpins, they must have them at turn 10 in Canada and turn 6 at Hochenheim amongst others. They used to have one at Silverstone on the insde of Luffield, but they changed that for an aeriel cable to cover Luffield, Woodcote and the old pit lane entrance.